2007-JAN-04: Congress: Progress made in religious and gender
acceptance: At the swearing-in of the 110th Congress, two major
milestones were achieved.Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the first woman
to be elected speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Keith
Ellison (D-MN), became the first Muslim member of the House. Ellison's
informal swearing in ceremony -- which followed the official ceremony -- was
seriously criticized by conservatives intolerant with his religion.
More info.

2007-JAN-21: World: Anabaptist anniversary: This day
is the 482nd anniversary of the birth of Anabaptism. Originally called "Re-baptizers"
they broke with other forms of Christianity and baptized members as adults.

2007-JAN-21: India: Mass meeting for Hindu festival:
The pilgrimage of Maha Kumbh Mela, the Great Um Festival, is being held in
the sacred city of Allahabad in India. About 50 to 100 million people are
expected to attend.

2007-JAN-23: US: Call for peace
in Israel and Palestine: According to
www.overcomingviolence.org:
"Christian leaders of American churches and Christian institutions from a
range of traditions – Orthodox, Catholic, mainstream and evangelical
Protestants – have appealed to President Bush for peace in the Holy Land.
The January 23rd letter, signed by 39 church leaders, encourages President
Bush to make Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, in the context of a
comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace initiative, an urgent priority for his
Administration. The letter states a deepening concern for the welfare and
future of the Palestinian Christian community. It also calls attention to
the very grave situation of Jerusalem." 1

Links to religious news sources:

Links to lists of general religious, conservative Christian, other Christian, and
non-Christian news sources is available elsewhere on
this web site.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

"America’s Christian Leaders Encourage President Bush to
Push for Israeli-Palestinian Peace and the Sharing of Jerusalem," at:
http://overcomingviolence.org/.